Maya Moore Wins China Championship Again

By Jim Reilly, WNBA.com

FIBA/Asia

WNBA players are scattered around the world during the offseason. Between Asia, Australia, and the EuroLeague, players from all 12 teams are competing in over a dozen countries around the world. Click here for an interactive map of the location of WNBA players abroad and see the most recent list below (subject to change, as not all players will be spending the entire winter abroad). Below we have compiled the latest news on your favorite WNBA players around the globe.

March 5, 2014 -- Minnesota Lynx superstar and 2013 WNBA Finals MVP Maya Moore added another championship to her growing collection, leading Shanxi Xing Rui Flame to a second straight Chinese Women's League title yesterday defeating Liz Cambage and Beijing 82-73 on March 4.

Moore completed another stellar season in China by scoring 39 points, grabbing 10 rebounds, dishing out six assists and making six steals, besting fellow WNBAer Liz Cambage of the Tulsa Shock in the championship final for the second year in a row. Cambage posted a monster 35-point, 19-rebound game for Beijing.

Liz Cambage. FIBA/Asia.

The China Women's League is not on the same timeline as their European counterparts, resulting in an early championship tilt in March, pitting WNBA stars Maya Moore and her Shanxi Xing Rui Flame squad against Liz Cambage and Beijing. Another key difference from the traditional European model is that each Chinese squad is limited to one foreign player (ie. Moore on Shanxi and Cambage on Beijing).

"Playing in China is a great opportunity, both on the court and off the court," said Moore to WNBA.com. "It's a chance for me to work on different skills. I do a lot more ball-handling for my China team and I'm the primary focus of the offense, and that is something that can help me improve and grow. But in addition to improving personally, I am out here to win too, and that is something I always want to do. I want to go out and be the best and beat the best. All the time."

Moore and the defending champion Lynx tip off the 2014 WNBA season against the Washington Mystics at 7pm ET on Friday, May 16.

Last week, Lauren Hill of Mount St. Joseph University courageously took the floor for her first college game, refusing to let an inoperable brain tumor keep her from achieving her dream – and WNBA stars Elena Delle Donne and Tamika Catchings were on hand to lend their support.